Federal judge dismisses case seeking to allow handguns in CT state parks
Testimony back in May about Colonial-era gun laws was the major talking point, as a federal judge heard a legal challenge to a firearms ban in state parks.
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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to allow handguns in Connecticut state parks.
The judge ruled that the plaintiff, Cheshire attorney and financial planner David Nastri, lacked standing.
Testimony back in May about Colonial-era gun laws was the major talking point, as a federal judge heard a legal challenge to a firearms ban in state parks.
MORE: Colonial-era muskets dominate hearing over handgun ban in state parks
“I never knew this existed until I was taking this hunter safety class,” Nastri told News 12 in January. “And when I saw it, I recognized it as being grossly unconstitutional.”
Nastri told the judge earlier this year that he’s carried a concealed Glock handgun for 30 years for self-defense. Nastri said he wants to carry in state parks because of a rise in crime along the Farmington River Canal Trail.
For two hours, testimony centered on how firearms were regulated in public spaces, such as town greens and parks, during the 18th and 19th centuries. That’s because a recent Supreme Court ruling sharply limited where firearms can be restricted. The court rules that current gun laws must be rooted in a historical basis.
Nastri’s case was one of several challenges to Connecticut’s strict gun laws filed since last year’s Supreme Court ruling.
The plaintiff in the case released a statement, saying, “We are profoundly disappointed in the district court’s ruling, which we believe is significantly at odds with U.S. Supreme Court precedent and is based on an unprecedented legal fiction. We will immediately appeal the district court’s decision, and we remain committed to removing every barrier to law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms to protect themselves.”
